


Farewell to the Native Hills and Fields

by TerraCody



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Birthday Presents, During Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions/Golden Deer Joint Route, Headcanon, Intimacy, Kissing, Older Man/Younger Woman, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25484785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCody/pseuds/TerraCody
Summary: Hanneman POV. Three months before Byleth returns, Hanneman meets Dorothea in a village in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus while searching for Lady Rhea with Seteth, Manuela, and the Knights of Seiros. Just a short, chance encounter...but one neither of them will ever forget.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Hanneman von Essar
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Farewell to the Native Hills and Fields

**Author's Note:**

> Fire Emblem: Three Houses and its characters are the property of Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo, and Nintendo. This pairing admittedly is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know their age difference bothers a lot of people, however I grew to love their interactions in their Support chain. I like how their conversations didn’t revolve around Dorothea’s attempts at snatching a partner, or Hannemen’s Crest research. They just seemed to care about each other as people, at least that’s what I felt. If you like this pairing, or even if you don’t, I hope you enjoy this story nonetheless.

_29th of the Horsebow Moon, Imperial Year 1185_

The sky was turning pink—the sun would be setting soon. Admittedly I was a little too relieved when I saw Seteth ahead look over his shoulder from his perch on his wyvern. “The border of the regions of Charon and Galatea is just ahead. There is one last village at the border. Scouts have already confirmed that there have been no sightings of Lady Rhea there, but it will certainly be good place to stop and rest.”

I nodded to this and shifted in my saddle. Absently I took off my bifocal to clean it with a handkerchief. “I will enjoy the reprieve, even if for a short while. Three days of nonstop riding unfortunately remind me all too well that I’m not as young as I used to be.”

”Oh poor Professor Hanneman,” Manuela Casagranda cooed from her horse beside me. I shot her a glare as I put my bifocal back on, instantly finding a retort. “I shall also remind you that _you_ are hardly a spring chicken, Manuela.”

Manuela’s glare was murderous, but before she could speak I heard Flayn say ahead of us, “Do they have fish in this village? I am very much looking forward to seeing the fish that they serve here!”

”This village borders a mountain, Flayn,” Seteth told his younger sister matter-of-factly. “I do not believe fish is a delicacy of this area.”

”Awww!” Flayn complained loudly, though some of Knights chuckled discreetly. _She sounds like a child, though she puts on airs of someone much older,_ I thought amusedly.

”You will not destroy my good mood, Hanneman von Essar,” Manuela said suddenly. “I will be the better person and take the high road from your insults.”

”You insulted me first, Manuela,” I pointed out.

Manuela ignored me and hoisted her satchel up onto her lap. “It’s no good, Hanneman. I’m far too happy to be annoyed by you. I’m so lucky to be able to meet her for her birthday, and to deliver her present in person.”

”Birthday?” I was now curious, and turned to Manuela. “Who’s birthday is it?”

Manuela ‘tsked’ at me as she rummaged through her satchel and pulled out a box that was wrapped in colorful tissue paper. “My, my, Hanneman. How could you be so cruel as to forget the birthday of one of our former students? I’m of course talking about _Dorothea_.”

I felt my brow rise upon hearing this. _Miss_ _Dorothea? Today is her birthday?_

”The lovely songstress turns twenty-four today,” Manuela continued, dramatically brushing off the box as though she were brushing away dust. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “She sent me a letter some time ago telling me she would be here to perform for the people of this village. Isn’t she so kind-hearted to bring joy to people on her birthday?”

It took a moment for me to find my words, and my embarrassment at my fumbling caused me irritation. “If you knew today was her birthday, then why did you not tell me?”

”I thought you knew, being a former professor of hers.”

”I was never her professor,” I quickly interjected. “I taught the Golden Deer House before I joined the Blue Lions as a student. _You_ taught the Black Eagles before joining the Blue Lions, remember? I remember the birthdays of all the Golden Deer members because _they_ were my students.”

”I see,” Manuela said, but there was sarcasm in her tone.

”Pray tell Manuela, when is Lysithea’s birthday?” I shot back. “Or Marianne’s? Or _Claude’s_?”

Manuela immediately flushed, and I took great pleasure at seeing her stumble over her words. “I-I...uh...we’re getting off-topic! Seteth!” She called ahead in a sing-song voice. “Sweet Dorothea is performing in village this evening! We have time to stop and see her, yes? I have to give her a birthday present!”

“It is Dorothea’s birthday today?” Flayn asked. “That is absolutely wonderful!”

Seteth suddenly yanked on the reins of his wyvern, and the creature carefully glided to the ground. Everyone abruptly came to a stop as he turned around fully in his saddle. He looked highly annoyed as her addressed Manuela. “Manuela, we are searching for Lady Rhea. We took this route at _your_ suggestion. Please do not tell me that you guided the Knights of Seiros to this location just so that you may have a reunion with a former student.”

I gave Manuela a sideways glance, but she didn’t look the least bit flustered at being caught under Seteth’s glare. She laughed gaily and gave a toss of her head. “Oh, there you go again Seteth! Always thinking the absolute _worst_ of me! It’s one of your qualities that I find most infuriatingly charming!”

”Cha—” Seteth looked taken aback, which admittedly I hadn’t seen often in all the years I’ve known him. Sputtering in fury, he quickly spun back around in his saddle. “We will stay to rest, see Dorothea, and wish her a happy birthday.”

”Oh, tha—”

“But once you deliver your birthday present to her, you will ride ahead of us with volunteers to Lord Galatea at his estate.”

”T-That’s a full day’s ride from here!” Manuela cried out, looking aghast. 

Seteth glanced at her briefly, and I saw that he was wearing a thin smile. “Indeed. Since you insisted on this path Manuela, then you are best suited to ask Lord Galatea for us if he has heard any rumors about Lady Rhea’s whereabouts.”

Manuela seethed with fury beside me, and I turned away so that she couldn’t see me smirk. I liked to think that I had a good working relationship with Seteth, but Manuela’s relationship with Seteth was _always_ tense. He was always upfront with her if he disapproved of her actions, and unmoving whenever she sniped at him.

 _With how volatile they’ve treated each other over the years, one might think they’re in love._ I snorted at that thought.

”And why are _you_ laughing?!” unable to sway Seteth from her new task, Manuela turned her wrath back upon me as we reached the village gates. “I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’re talking about,” I said, perhaps a little too smugly.

I heard the singing the moment I dismounted my horse. “ _Dorothea!_ ” She cried out. She flew off her horse and ran towards the village center. I cursed and grabbed the reins of her mount as the horse started bucking. The foolish woman had left her without tying it! Even Flayn had enough sense to tie her horse! 

I took care of my horse (and Manuela’s) and nodded to Seteth as I headed towards the village center with other Knights. It was indeed where the singing was coming from, and I saw a large crowd of people gathered there. If this was the entire population of the village, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

”Hanneman!” I saw Manuela at the edge of the crowd and she waved to me frantically. “I can’t see! Hoist me up!”

”I will do no such thing,” I said as I stood beside her. Manuela ignored me and grabbed my shoulder to hoist herself up onto my body. I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore her and watch the singing. I was glad for my tall height, as it allowed me to see over the heads of everyone in front of me. I saw the woman standing at the front of the crowd singing, and my heart skipped a beat.

I had met many women in my life and none of them compared to the women who captivated the crowd with her hauntingly beautiful face and voice. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen; the way her brown hair curled around a heart-shaped face, her green eyes were big and luminous, meeting the eyes of everyone around her, shoulders were creamy white and straight and broad as she sang, and the way her red dress accentuated the perfect curves of her body...my throat went dry and I swallowed thickly. I was afraid to blink and miss a moment of my gaze lingering on her.

Manuela had hoisted herself up that her chin was resting on my shoulder. “Oh...Dorothea looks so beautiful...”

I stiffened, and locked my jaw. Dorothea? That woman was _Dorothea_? Instantly I was filled with shame for coveting someone who was a former student at the Academy. I was also embarrassed that I hadn’t immediately recognized her, and was instead hypnotized by her beauty. I may not have been a direct professor to her during the Academy Days, but we had still had private conversations with each other at Garreg Mach. And because of our shared speciality with Reason, we had often fought together on the battlefield and had had fun comparing our magic skills.

She was someone that I had always held a deep respect for, and I was uncomfortable by how I had responded to seeing her without knowing who she was. I tried to squash those feelings though and focus on the pride I felt at seeing her perform. 

It was in that moment though that her eyes met mine. 

Her brow rose, and I saw the glint of recognition in her eyes when she recognized me, but she otherwise didn’t pause in her singing. It was strange, though...Dorothea’s eyes didn’t wander the crowd anymore. Her gaze held mine and mine alone as she brought her song to its conclusion. I was ashamed at feeling self-conscious at her scrutiny (especially in light of the thoughts I had about her earlier), but I couldn’t look away.

She finished with a flourished and curtsied to the as they slapped and cheered for her. I myself was unable to join in the clapping as Manuela was still climbing up my body, screaming and waving her arm. “Dorothea! Over here, dear!”

Dorothea looked up, and her face lit up as she caught sight of us. From her reaction, I could hazard a guess that she hadn’t seen Manuela earlier. “P-Professor Manuela?!” She quickly surged forward towards us, but found herself surrounded by villagers giving her praise and adulation.

”Hanneman, _go_!” Manuela yelled directly into my ear. “She needs our help!”

 _I’m certain Miss Dorothea can handle a crowd herself,_ I thought dryly, but I raised my free hand. “ _Wind_.”

It was simple gust magic, and I had a considerable amount of experience with the spell to concentrate it in such a way that it wouldn’t actually hurt anyone, especially Dorothea. It was effective though, as they people in front of us were abruptly pushed to the side, creating a path straight to Dorothea. Manuela leapt off me, nearly knocking me over, and ran straight to Dorothea with her arms outstretched. Dorothea ran straight to her with equal enthusiasm and the two former opera singers threw their arms around each other. “Oh my darling, it’s been so _long_!” Manuela cried.

’Yes, yes it has!” Dorothea was also shouting. I could hear the tears in her voice and my heart at hearing the sad sound. I held myself back though as they had their long-awaited reunion, hugging and crying and hugging again. It was certainly a touching moment to witness.

”Dorothea!” Flayn ran past me and over to the two women. “Your voice is absolutely majestic! I hope you will forgive me, but I only learned just a little while ago that today was your birthday! Please, accept this as my birthday present to you!” Flayn held out a wooden figurine that was in an...odd shape. I didn’t know if it was supposed to be a fish or a leaf.

”O-Oh, thank you,” Dorothea said politely, accepting the wooden carving.

”I also have a gift for you!” Manuela said, reaching into her satchel and presenting Dorothea with her wrapped present. “I saw this scarf and thought of you!”

”Oh, that was so nice of you!” Dorothea hugged her again.

This however was a reminder that I did not have a birthday present to give to her, and I tried to discreetly sneak away to find a shop and quickly buy her something. As I turned however, I heard Manuela say, “Yes it’s certainly nice to acknowledge birthdays, _isn’t that right Hanneman_?”

...Hate is such a strong word, but there were times where I _strongly disliked_ Manuela.

”Professor Hanneman?” I heard Dorothea’s voice. I thought I heard delight in her tone, but I wasn’t sure. I turned back around to face them. “I—”

”IT’S LADY DOROTHEA’S BIRTHDAY!” Someone suddenly shouted. 

Before I could even take a step forward the crowd had recovered and mobbed Dorothea again. However, with Manuela and Flayn standing at her side all three women were now completely surrounded by shouting people.

I sighed in exasperation and raised my hand again. “ _W_ —”

”Leave this to me.”

I looked up in time to see Seteth flying on his wyvern directly over my head, his face hard. His wyvern landed on the ground with such force that it caused people to scatter screaming. Even I was affected by the motion; I stumbled backwards and grabbed at my own satchel. My hand squeezed—

I froze, and suddenly looked down at my satchel—at the item I was gripping through the outer bag. I then looked up and saw Seteth dismounting his wvyern and grabbing a man who had was holding onto Flayn’s arm by the back of his neck. With the flick of his wrist he sent the man flying across the square. Dorothea and Manuela flinched, and clung to each other in surprise. I slowly released my bag. _I...think it’s time._

* * *

Night had fallen. Not long after Seteth had cleared the square that Manuela was sent on her way with six Knights to ride ahead and meet with Lord Galatea. Manuela was predictably less than pleased, obviously wanting to spend more time with Dorothea, but Seteth was never one to be moved by her anger or fake tears.

The village’s inn was one story and had just three rooms, all of which were occupied, so the Knights of Seiros set up camp outside of the village. Dorothea had already claimed one of the rooms for herself though, and after being directed to the room by the innkeeper I stood outside the door. I held her birthday present in my hands, shoddily wrapped with one of my clean handkerchiefs. I stared down at the object, caressing it with one hand. My heart ached, and felt so heavy...but I was resolute in my decision.

_It is time. I need to let go, and if this the way for me to let go, then so be it._

I nodded stiffly and raised my head. I held her gift carefully in one hand and knocked on the door. “Come in!” Dorothea called from inside the room. 

I still hesitated before entering. Dorothea was standing at the table arranging empty dishes on a tray. Manuela had gifted her an amaranth colored silk scarf that was currently tied loosely around her neck. She looked up and immediately smiled at me. “Oh, Professor Hanneman! Please come in!”

”Please forgive my intrusion Miss Dorothea,” I said as I entered the room. I saw that the room was filled with flowers and unopened presents. My brow rose, but I still held my gift for her close to my chest. “Am I correct in assuming these are gifts from the villagers?”

”Yes,” Dorothea said, though her tone was stiff. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of my birthday today because it’s a time of war and people have so little as it is, but they insisted in spending their money on me for gifts. I feel terrible about it, but I couldn’t refuse them.”

”I think you should see this as repayment for your performance today, if that makes you feel better.”

”...A little bit.” Dorothea finished and straightened. “Please excuse me, Professor Hanneman. If I had known that you would be stopping by, I would’ve ordered tea for us. Was it Bergamot that you liked?”

”Indeed. I’m flattered that you remembered one of my favorite teas.”

Dorothea shrugged and smiled. “Well...I don’t know when the next time will be that I will see any of you, so I would’ve liked to have had tea with you or Professor Manuela.”

”You could join us in fin—”

”I appreciate your offer, but I would rather stay away from the fighting as much as possible. I’ve seen enough bloodshed.” Her tone was somber, and her expression was sad as she looked away.

”I have upset you,” I said, moving towards her. I held up a hand as though to soothe her. “I apologize, Miss Dorothea. It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable, especially on your birthday.”

Dorothea shook her head and looked at me. “No, please don’t apologize Professor Hanneman. Let’s talk about something else, shall we? Like, what is that you are holding?” She gestured to her gift in my arms.

”Ah, this?” I laughed softly and presented it to her. “This...This is for you, Miss Dorothea. Happy Birthday.”

”Oh, a birthday present?” Dorothea looked absolutely delighted as she took it from me. “Professor Manuela said you didn’t get me anything!”

I laughed hollowly. “Oh, Manuela and her tall tales!” _Oh, I will make that woman sorry for **that**..._

Dorothea quickly unwrapped the present, and I felt the ache in my chest when she pulled away the handkerchief. In her hand she held an oval-shaped hand-mirror. Though it was unbroken it was an old mirror; the red paint on the back had been chipped off, and though I had polished the mirror before bringing it to Dorothea it still needed care. Dorothea carefully took the handkerchief and cleaned the mirror before holding it up. She looked at it with wonder, and I saw that she was pleased with the gift. Knowing that she liked it made me feel unquestionably happy.

”This is beautiful,” Dorothea breathed. She looked at me. “Did this personally belong to you?”

“In a way, yes. I’ve had that mirror for a long time.”

”H...How thoughtful of you to gift me a personal item of yours. Thank you so much, Professor.”

I smiled back at her. “I’m honored that you like it, Miss Dorothea. You are certainly deserving of it.” I turned towards the door. “Since you mentioned tea, I can treat you t—”

_”Tierney von Essar.”_

I stiffened and quickly turned around. Dorothea had turned the mirror over and was looking at the back of handle. She glanced up at me. “Von Essar...that was your family, right? How sweet of you to gift me a family heirloom, although I am surprised you carry this around with you in wartime, Professor Hanneman. And especially since you’d renounced your family name...”

My knees felt weak. Hearing that name for the first time in years was overwhelming. I moved back into the room and slowly took a seat at the table. I had to take a moment to steady my voice, but it was still soft and shaky when the words came it. “...That was a keepsake.”

”A keepsake?” Dorothea echoed. I felt her eyes on me.

I stared forward, not letting myself look at her. “That hand mirror...belonged to my sister.”

”Your si— _oh_!” Dorothea cried out. She quickly moved to stand in front of me and I was forced to look up at her. She looked shocked—horrified, even. Was she disgusted that I gifted her a memento from my sister? 

Her next words though proved this wrong. “This was your sister’s mirror? Y-You’re going to give something so valuable to _me_?! I cannot accept this! This must mean the world to you if you carry it around with you!” She gently pushed the mirror back into my hands. “Please do not feel that you are obligated to gift me something so wonderful for my birthday present!”

”Dorothea.”

Her eyes widened, and I realized that I didn’t address her as ‘Miss Dorothea’ as I had before. But I held her gaze and wrapped her hands around the mirror. “I wouldn’t give this to you if I didn’t need it. I kept this with me because it was the only possession of my sister’s that I took with me when I left home. But, a beautiful mirror such as this has gone to waste all these years because I kept it with me for sentimentality. I have not been able to utilize it properly.”

”But—”

”Shh, please do not protest. I want you to have this mirror. If I didn’t want you to have it I wouldn’t have gifted it to you. I’m quite certain that Tierney would be flattered to know that her mirror now belongs to a fine young woman such as yourself.”

Dorothea’s eyes were shining and turning red, as though she were holding back tears. She took the mirror back into her hand and hugged it to her chest. “...Thank you, Professor Hanneman. This is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me. I will treasure it for as long as I shall live.”

”I appreciate your flattery, but it’s not necessary,” I said, waving a hand slightly. “I know Manuela’s scarf means a great deal—”

”I love all of the gifts Professor Manuela has given me over the years, but they don’t compare to this.” Dorothea moved away from me then, but didn’t move too far. She stood next to me at the table and leaned against it. She looked down at her reflection in the mirror for moment. “Isn’t it funny, how we came to meet like this here, and how you came to give me this mirror, just because we left our houses at Garreg Mach and joined the Blue Lions? I wonder what would’ve happened if we had stayed where we were?”

I looked away again. “Had I not accepted Professor Byleth’s offer to join the Blue Lions, I most likely would’ve sided with Emperor Edelgard and fought for the Imperial Army.”

”Really?”

I shrugged. “I am a citizen of the Empire after all, and while I do not agree with the Emperor’s actions I actually do support her motives with the Crest system. However, had I sided with the Empire I most likely would’ve been tucked safe away from...all of this.” I gestured around me. “And would have never seen how costly her war has been on the populace. So many people have died because of her desire for change, and I cannot condone nor forgive that.

“Of course, even before all of this, there is the simple fact that Emperor Edelgard was involved with the terrible occurrences that happened at Garreg Mach, including the murder of Jeralt. Even if she did not do it personally herself, she bears responsibility for everything that happened during that terrible time. I cannot forgive her for what happened to Jeralt, nor can I forgive her for the many students that were hurt because of her machinations. Truthfully, I am grateful that Professor Byleth asked me to join the Blue Lions because that allowed me to circumvent my obligation as an Imperial citizen to fight for the Imperial Army. Change _does_ need to occur, but declaring war on the Church of Seiros, and dragging two other countries into the conflict, is not the proper way to bring about change.”

Dorothea was silent for a long moment. She shifted, and slid up onto the table to sit on it. She still held onto the mirror like it was a coveted item. Finally she spoke. “...I left the Black Eagles House because I felt uncomfortable.”

I looked at her, but she wasn’t looking at me. She wasn’t even looking down at her mirror but was staring off into space. “I was uncomfortable by how...forced the atmosphere felt in that house. I joked and teased with the other students, including Edelgard, but I-I didn’t get a real sense of joy or _calm_ in that house. Edie and Hubie were constantly off whispering amongst themselves—and now I know that they were plotting this damned war and keeping the rest of us out of the loop. Even talking to other students in the house was difficult because everyone seemed to be putting on fake airs that everything was okay. The only people I saw who I felt were happy in their positions were Lin and Caspar. Even Ferdie didn’t seem happy, and he was always full of Imperial pride.

”Then the—then Professor Manuela was attacked by the Death Knight. The Professor who led the Black Eagles was stabbed. We in the Black Eagles house were so scared for her but Edie—I saw her expression when our class went to see her. Edie wasn’t good at expressing herself, but she didn’t even seem _calm_ at seeing our professor so badly injured. She just looked— _unmoved_ , really, as though seeing our professor injured was something she had expected to happen. It bothered me so _much_ , a-and I just started getting scared all the time. Just being around Edie and Hubie was giving me anxiety attacks, and the anxiety attacks just made me feel more scared. Not too long afterwards Professor Byleth asked me to join the Blue Lions, and I was happy to do so if for nothing else than my own mental health. In hindsight I’m glad I did what I did, because when I found out that Edie was the Flame Emperor I was disgusted that she allowed something so horrible to happen to Professor Manuela, and that she allowed so many terrible things to happen at Garreg Mach. My only regret is that I didn’t tell Professor Byleth my concerns about Edie. If I had said something...” she trailed off.

”You are not to blame for what happened,” I reassured her. I reached out and gently laid a hand on her arm. “All you had was a hunch. You didn’t know for certain what was going on. I believe that since the Emperor and Hubert deliberately hid their plans from the rest of you, they were probably never going to tell any of you the truth until their plan was fully enacted. To me, it sounds like they saw all of you as nothing more than pawns in their plan. And even if you _had_ mentioned anything to Professor Byleth, it ultimately wouldn’t have changed anything.”

”Yes, but I...” Dorothea curled inward slightly. “Sometimes I cannot help but feel that Dimitri and the Professor would still be alive if I had said _something_!”

I squeezed her arm comfortingly. “We don’t yet know what has happened to the Professor. It is true that we haven’t seen her since the battle at Garreg Mach, but she wasn’t just an ordinary person. We all saw what she had looked like after she burst from the sky. She would not have fallen so easily.”

”Yes, but where is she? Why is she not here now? What...” she shook her head. “If she is still alive, what will she do when she finds out Dimitri is dead?”

”There is no use thinking this way now, dwelling on the past,” I told her, focusing on my desire to comfort her so that I didn’t have to think about the pain her words were invoking in me. “We can only look forward. We will find Lady Rhea, and we will find the Professor. And...we will deal with how best to break the news to her about Dimitri when we find her. But we will accomplish our goals, stop the Empire, and make everything better. I know we will.”

”And until then...we cannot go home.”

”You should consider home wherever you want to be, Dorothea. That’s what I’ve done all these years.”

Dorothea was silent for several long moments. Finally she sighed sadly and quietly. She pulled off the scarf Manuela had given her and careful wrapped it around the hand mirror before setting it on the table. “You’re a good man, Professor Hanneman.”

”I don’t believe I am,” I responded. “But you are a good woman, D—”

Dorothea abruptly turned towards me and leaned down and kissed me. I was completely taken off-guard by the motion, and my body jolted. To my shame, I didn’t immediately move away or push her away. Admittedly I _was_ shocked at suddenly being kissed by her, but I was also distracted by the sensation of feeling her mouth against mine. Her lips were full and soft, and to my greater shame my first instinct at the touch of her mouth was to suck on her bottom lip.

But I held myself still, eyes wide as I stared at her.

After a moment she slowly pulled away and met my eyes. Goddess she was a beauty to behold, and the way she looked at me—the way her eyes shined, and the smile on her perfect lips—in an instant I felt a change inside me. Feelings, desires, _wants_ —vices that I had buried when I abandoned my old life to devote myself to Crest research reawakened inside me. My heart was pounding, and heat swept through me.

But it was wrong, so wrong. The person who was leaned over me was a woman, an adult, and even when I had first met her she had been an adult. But she was still so much younger than I was, _and_ she was a former student while I was a former professor. I couldn’t just kiss her, or feel these feelings for her. It was inappropriate. It...

Dorothea leaned in again, slower this time, and held my gaze as she kissed me again. Shame flared up in me as I found myself unable to push her away again, but the heat flared up in me too. She pressed her mouth against mine with slow, coaxing touches and my eyes slid closed as one of her hands cupped my cheek. The movements of her mouth against mine felt so _good_ , and I felt my resistance crumble as my mouth reciprocated, mimicking her slow motions until our mouths opened fully against each other.

I wasn’t inexperienced with sex, and in my youth I had gone through a “wild” phase where I had bedded many women. However, when I had successfully closed off carnal urges to envelop myself in my research I did not take another lover again. I had no need to when my research was so fulfilling. This was the first time in decades that I had kissed someone with so much passion, but I couldn’t remember any kiss before this moment feeling like _this_. I groaned deeply and my toes curled in my boots as Dorothea kissed me, her motions gentle but with slight force. It felt as though she found the bud of the desire in my body and worked meticulously to make it bloom fully. I felt stabs of cool heat shooting straight to my groin. Her hand slid away from my cheek and buried into my hair, my bifocal coming loose. Slowly and deliberately, she slid off of the table and sat sideways across my lap.

One of my hands gripped the arm of the chair, but the other was still on her arm. I sensed that Dorothea felt my growing need because she shifted her body ever so slightly in my lap, deliberately rubbing her backside over my groin. She gripped my wrist with her free hand and moved my hand from her arm to her waist. She moaned throatily against my mouth as her hand on my wrist slid up and over the back of my hand and deliberately moved my hand upwards, sliding it up her body. My heart skipped a beat and began pounding hard against the wall of my chest as I realized she was directing my hand to cup her breast. 

_I shouldn’t, I really shouldn’t—_

My fingertips touched the underside of her breast, and my resistance completely collapsed. _Oh yes_ _, oh PLEASE, I want this—_

”Hanneman?”

Hearing Seteth’s voice calling my name on the other side of the door quickly brought us both to our senses. In a flash Dorothea was off my lap and quickly fixing herself, and I was instantly relieved for my long trench coat and quickly covered myself as I reset my bifocal. “I am here, Seteth!” I called out once Dorothea nodded to me that she was ready.

Seteth opened the door and poked his head in. “Ah, here you are. A scout came back and said Maneula’s group ran into some trouble with bandits on the road ahead. The Knights of Seiros are mobilizing immediately to provide aid.”

”Y-Yes, of course,” I said, standing with some difficulty. I continued to discreetly cover myself. “We are leaving now, yes?”

”Yes.” Seteth looked further into the room and saw Dorothea. There were no changes to his expression. “Hello, Dorothea. Happy Birthday. I apologize for not saying it to you earlier.”

”T-Thank you, Seteth,” Dorothea said. Her tone was leveled but her cheeks were rosy.

”I will see you outside, Hanneman,” Seteth told me, and closed the door behind him.

I looked at Dorothea, and she looked back at me. Many words flooded through my mind that I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t bring myself to say them. I could still feel the heat in my body, but with her away from me now I was able to squash the desire I had felt earlier.

But...I couldn’t get rid of it completely.

”Would you like to help us rescue Manuela?” I asked her, because it was the only thing I could think to say.

Dorothea shook her head. “I know you all will reach Professor Manuela in time. Just...please take care of yourself.”

I nodded stiffly. “You, too.”

We didn’t acknowledge the kiss we had shared, nor did we spare any further words. There wasn’t time to anyways; as I left the inn and headed outside, Knights were already mounted and leaving the village. I quickly found my horse and hurried after Seteth and the rest of the Knights. I didn’t look back to see if Dorothea had come out to wave goodbye to us.

Ahead, Flayn was complaining to Seteth about the lack of fish in the village but I reached up and traced my mouth with my finger. I could still taste Dorothea’s kiss in my mouth.

_Why in the world did she kiss me? I do not believe we were having a romantic moment. We were not even having a romantic conversation. Our relationship has never been anything but platonic and professional. So why..._

It was frightening how much everything had changed in just a few hours. Before we arrived at the village Dorothea was just another former student. But now just the thought of her made me feel...

I shook my head to clear it. _That is enough, Hanneman. It doesn’t matter why she kissed you, or why you reciprocated the kiss. It will not happen again. You must focus your mind on finding Lady Rhea and surviving the insanity of this war. Just pray that if the Goddess really does exist then she will deliver Professor Byleth back to us. Everything will make sense again when she returns._

I focused my mind on this as I urged my horse to move faster, but I couldn’t stop an underlining thought from seeping through.

_If Professor Byleth comes back...you will see Dorothea again._

**Author's Note:**

> Note: As of this writing Hanneman’s sister doesn’t have a canon name. I felt Tierney was a good name for her, but if her name is ever revealed in canon I’ll change it in this story.


End file.
